‘No Kings’ rallies across Chicago area call for election participation: ‘Make your voice heard’

As she danced and waved her sign at passing cars, Mary Buckingham made sure to spread one message loud and clear: “Voting is Sexy.”

Buckingham, of Evanston, was among hundreds of people across Chicago and the suburbs who took part in Saturday’s No Kings: Vote Early rally. The demonstrations were held across the country to encourage voter participation in the midterm elections.

“It’s very easy to feel hopeless when your rights are under threat,” said Buckingham, 29. “But it is your God-given and country-given right to vote and make your voice heard.”

Residents of Skokie and Evanston made their voices heard along McCormick Avenue near Gorell Park in Skokie, holding signs, waving to passing cars and urging others to cast their ballots.

Buckingham said every election matters, but Nov. 3 is especially important for those upset with President Donald Trump’s administration. Since Trump began his second term, she said, communities have been torn apart, the cost of living has risen, and women’s rights have come under constant attack.

“I’m voting for my own rights, for the rights of people of color and for the rights of immigrants in this country.”

Standing a few feet away were Evanston residents Srivathsava Rangarahan and Natalia Baranchan, an immigrant couple voting in their first Illinois General Election.

When Rangarahan left India for the United States 14 years ago, he said he viewed the country as a “beacon of liberty and freedom.” Now, he said, he mourns what the country has become.

“I’m an immigrant, and I think it’s the first time in these 14 years in America that I felt afraid,” said the 36-year-old. “I have nothing to be worried about, but it’s just really scary. And I’m afraid not just for myself, but for all of our society.”

Rangarahan and Baranchan became U.S. citizens nearly two years ago. They said they’re using their citizenship status to vote for change.

“The country cannot go on like this for another two years,” said Baranchan, who moved to the U.S. from Ukraine 13 years ago. “It’s time for checks and balances.”

Despite the struggles, the couple said they have hope that candidates who have people’s best interests at heart will be elected.

“I can’t wait for November 3,” said Baranchan, 36. “I can’t wait for January when the new Congress will be sworn in, and I am very hopeful that the new Democratic majority will remember what the United States stands for.”

In Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, residents held their own No Kings Rally near Sheridan Road and Berwyn Avenue.

Among the crowd were Stacey Thomas and her daughter Anna Feuer, who wanted everyone who passed by to know their vote matters.

“Every vote counts,” said Thomas, 66, of Uptown. “Voting is your right, and you should get out there because it does make a difference.”

Feuer said it’s important for voters to understand what’s at stake and choose candidates who best represent their interests.

“Voting can be intimidating, but there are voting guides that are easily accessible, easily readable,” said Feuer, 34, of Ukrainian Village. “Just go out and do it.”